methylene group
- noun
- /ˈmɛθəˌliːn ɡruːp/
- Specialized
:
grupo metileno
- In organic chemistry, a methylene group is represented as –CH₂– and links two atoms in a larger molecule.
Examples
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The presence of a methylene group in the structure indicates that there are two hydrogen atoms connected to a carbon atom.
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And so that leaves our methylene group over here that will have another signal that's further down field and this one will be two protons.
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Each methylene group in the compound contributes to its chemical properties by linking different functional groups.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is fully compositional: 'methylene' denotes the bivalent radical –CH₂– and 'group' denotes a bonded assembly, so together they straightforwardly mean the –CH₂– unit linking parts of a molecule. Although domain-specific, the meaning is directly derivable from the constituent definitions, so a learner who already knows both words will understand it.
Etymology
Methylene group comes from the word methane, the simplest molecule made of carbon and hydrogen, with an ending that showed it was a small connecting part. So it means the small –CH₂– piece that joins or 'links' two parts of a molecule.
